§ Queen's Recommendation having been signified,—
§
Motion made, and Quėstion proposed.
That, for the purposes of any Act of this Session to increase the limits imposed by section 10(2) of the Post Office Act 1961, it is expedient to authorise such increases in the sums which by or under any enactment are to be or may be charged on or issued out of the Consolidated Fund, raised by borrowing or paid into the Exchequer as may result from increasing to £2,200 million the amount which, under the said section 10(2), the aggregate therein mentioned is not to exceed.—[Mr. Short.]
§ Mr. Deputy Speaker (Sir Eric Fletcher)I should remind the House of important changes in its financial procedure which the House agreed to at the end of the procedure debate on 14th December last. The House then amended Standing Order No. 83 which had governed proceedings relating to public money since the year 1707. As a result of the amendment then made, instead of the House now adjourning into a Committee, we move directly as a House to consideration of the Money Resolution.
I think that this is the first occasion on which the House has considered a Motion proposing financial expenditure by the Crown without the matter having been first considered in, and reported from, a Committee of the whole House.
By a further subsidiary change in practice, the Queen's Recommendation has today, for the first time, been signified through the Public Bill Office instead of, as hitherto, announced publicly in the House by a Minister.
§ Question put and agreed to.